Fishkill is located in
Dutchess County 10 miles north of West Point across the Hudson between Wappinger Falls and Beacon along Highway 9 off I84 on the banks of the Fishkill River near James Baird State Park. Fishkill is part of the
Dutchess County, New York metro area and in the
Southern Region of the state.
According to local legend, New York City merchants Francis Rombout and Gulian Verplanck bought land from the Wappinger Indians. Rombout bargained for "all the land he could see," then climbed to the top of Mount Beacon. His land grant included what is now the city of Beacon and the towns of Wappinger, Fishkill and East Fishkill.
